Fact Sheet: Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX)
Now in its twenty-nineth year, Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) provides an opportunity for Georgian secondary school students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades to study at an American high school and to live with an American host family. The FLEX program is fully funded by the U.S. Department of State program and is administered by American Councils for International Education in Georgia.
The program will offer scholarships to secondary school students from Georgia for the 2022-2023 academic years. Scholarship recipients will be provided with a round trip ticket from their home to the United States and back as well as a monthly allowance for living expenses. While in the U.S., Georgian students will have the opportunity to share Georgian culture. They will learn about the United States firsthand by participating in family life, school study, and extracurricular activities.
Recipients of FLEX scholarships are selected by an independent panel of experienced educators in the United States on the basis of merit demonstrated in the application materials. Merit is determined by evaluating the online application, recommendations, English language proficiency, and an applicant’s demonstrated preparedness for a yearlong exchange experience.
We invite all students to participate in the competition who: (1) Are presently studying in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades and have good academic standing; (2) Were born between January 1, 2005, and July 15, 2007; (3) Are eligible to receive a U.S. visa; (4) Have not lived in the United States for more than three months in the last five years; (5) Are citizens of Georgia; (6) Have previously studied English or demonstrate English language abilities.
The FLEX program is open to all high school students who meet the requirements of the program including students with disabilities. Over 270 disabled students have already studied in the U.S. on this program. The age/grade requirements for disabled students differ from the requirements for other applicants. Disabled candidates must be born between February 15, 2004, and July 15, 2007, and must be studying in 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.
Due to safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, testing for the 2022-23 program year will be conducted online, beginning on September 13th. Applicants can participate in the recruitment process from any location that has Internet access, using either a mobile device or a computer. The standards for the program will remain very high and we expect competition to be strong.
The first round of testing is open to all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria above and will take place between September 13 and October 15, 2021. It includes a preliminary online application and three essay questions that must be submitted within 10 days of starting the application.
After submitting the preliminary application, all students will automatically be invited to take part in Round 2, which consists of an online English language test.
The third and final round of testing will begin in November. Round 3 will include an interview, three more essay questions, a comprehensive English language test, and the full application. Students who advance to this stage will be contacted by the American Councils Georgia office.